


The Courage To Leave, The Strength To Survive

by KazOfScotland



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Assault, Domestic Violence, F/M, Pregnancy, Survival, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:28:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KazOfScotland/pseuds/KazOfScotland
Summary: Love can blind you. Love can be the reason that you stay. But sometimes you need to have the courage to leave. Courage is after all the greatest strength that she can have. The courage to leave, is her strength to survive.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18
Collections: International Witches Day





	The Courage To Leave, The Strength To Survive

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [International_Witches_Day](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/International_Witches_Day) collection. 



> Written for the International Witches Day fest. The prompt was: “The best protection any woman can have is courage.” –Elizabeth Cady Stanton
> 
> Please check the tags for triggers before you read further. 
> 
> Thank you to **** for beta reading this.

Blow after blow rained down on her. Blow after blow, kick after kick, all of it rained and crashed down on her as he raged on like an unstoppable force that she knew would just keep going. It was her worst nightmare, but every single time it happened she listened when he said it would be the last time. She absorbed every excuse like a sponge, time and time again, and nothing would change, she knew that subconsciously, but she would stay for the hope that one day he would realize how much she loved him. 

She knew what people thought of her. She knew how they viewed her as being weak. But she was terrified. She was so terrified that she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know where to turn. But she knew that she had to. She had more than just herself to think about now. She had to get out. She had to escape and make it to somewhere where she would feel safe. Somewhere where she didn’t have to think about every single word she had to say, every single breath she would take, every single move she would make. She didn’t want to have to analyse every single action just to make sure that it was all okay. 

She wanted to be able to breathe and think and talk and move without having to second guess every single thing. She wanted to be free. But she didn’t know how to. She didn’t know if she was ready to do that. She had always returned back to him because she didn’t know how not to deal with the fear of what would happen if she left. He had always told her that he would make her regret it if she ever left him. 

She couldn’t even dream of what the punishment would be. She knew that whatever it was, it would be worse than any nightmare she had ever thought up. She knew that it would be hellish, and that was why she never tried to leave. She knew that she could deal with everything on her own when it was only herself that she had to look after, she knew that she was okay. 

But now, now that it was more than just her, she didn't know how she could keep going when she had another life to look after. There was something so important about the act of protecting someone else. And it was that important factor that gave her the courage to finally make a change. It was that important act that finally let her grow the courage to remove herself from the horrible situation that had been her life for years. Regardless of the consequences that would follow her decision, it was one that she was going to take. All she had to do was wait. Wait until the blows stopped raining down on top of her. 

Eventually she awoke. It was dark and every part of her ached. The thing she was most thankful for was the silence surrounding her.She knew that it would change if she waited until he came home. She had to make sure that she got away quickly. 

So ignoring the pain that exploded through her body, she pushed herself up to her feet. Every part of her was wishing that she could drift off to the painless quietness of unconsciousness. But she also knew that she had to protect herself. She had to protect the life that she was now responsible for. She had to get out. Now, without any more hesitation. Now, before it was too late for everyone. Before it went too far. 

She stumbled along the hall, dizziness from the blows she had taken to the head making her lean against the wall every few steps. She hated it, she hated that it came to this, but she also knew that it was never going to end unless she made it end. And that was why she had to make sure that she got out of there. She had to fight against the waves of dizziness that kept trying to make her fall to the ground. 

There was a feeling of nausea, but she knew that she didn’t have time to deal with it. If she was lucky, and she was hoping that she was, there was maybe an hour before he would come stumbling in from the pub. That was what normally happened after an episode. He would go and drink into a blackout, and when he would come home, he would be even angrier than before because of the mess that she had made from whatever injuries she had. But she wasn’t going to let it happen this time around. 

She only just managed to make it to the bathroom and drop to her knees in front of the toilet before she lost everything that she had had in her stomach. She wished she knew what the cause of it was. If it was from the blow to her head, or if it was from her protectee, the child she was carrying within her womb. 

The vomiting had become an unfortunate and uncomfortable part of her life, a part that she was glad that he hadn’t found about. She knew that she was obliged to tell him; that he had a right to know that there would one day be a child out in the world carrying his DNA. But she couldn’t risk her child growing up in an environment like their relationship. Her child deserved the best, deserved to be free from the fear of being hit for just being a kid. 

The bout of sickness ate into the precious few minutes that she had before he would arrive home. It ate into the precious time that she had to get together everything that she wanted to take with her. She knew that once she walked out the door this time she would never return. No matter what is said, no matter what promises are made. She would not be back. She had finally grown the courage to leave, and she was going to. She couldn’t let her child live in danger. 

Eventually, the vomiting and nausea that was her nearly constant companion decided to give her a bit of respite. She could still feel the nausea but it had eased up enough that she didn’t feel the need to worry that if she was to lift her head from where it was resting on her forearm against the toilet seat that she would instantly start vomiting again. She honestly couldn’t understand why people called it morning sickness, in her experience it was all day nausea and sickness, but she suspected that it was more than just morning sickness this time around. She could feel the telltale signs of a concussion from the blow to her head.

A concussion should worry her but all it did was strengthen her resolve to be courageous and leave. She had spent her entire teenage years fighting against the Darkest Wizard known to the magical world. She had spent years supporting her best friends as they tried to defeat Voldemort. 

Slowly and carefully, just in case the nausea was still there, she pushed herself to her feet. It took a minute or two of slow and deep breaths before she felt steady enough to walk through to the bedroom. The room where everything had been sweet and loving. She thought that it would hurt to look around and see her belongings mixed in with his, but it didn’t. It just made her want to pack up quicker. So that's what she did. 

She pulled out her wand, pointed it to a suitcase that was sat at the door of the wardrobe and started to mutter spells under her breath. There was no point in risking him overhearing her if he came home sooner than expected. In a flash, the suitcase was open and the clothes that were hers were filling the case from the wardrobe and the chest of drawers. On the other side of the room, she pointed her books to the trunk that she had been storing at the bottom of the bed and they started to fill by themself as well. She glanced back and forth between both tasks before she walked over to the bedside table. There was a note sitting waiting on her. 

_ My dearest love,  _

_ Hermione, I can only apologise for my actions, but you need to know that it would never come to this if you would just do as I need you to. If you would stop angering me, then we would be fine. I have gone out with Blaise, I will be home later tonight.  _

_ Do not anger me upon my return and we will be just fine.  _

_ I promise to do better in the future.  _

_ Draco.  _

As soon as she read the words she began to laugh hysterically whilst tears started falling down her face. She couldn’t believe it had taken her this long to realise what was going on. But it was going to change. She left the note lying on the table and picked up the picture of her, Ginny, Ron, Harry, Neville, and Luna from their last year at Hogwarts. She had been pushed away from them by Draco in recent times but they had always been an important part of her life. And all she could hope was that she could mend whatever had been broken. 

She knew then that she had to leave. She had to protect herself and her child. She had finally gained the courage to leave. And that courage, that was her greatest form of protection. Even if there was no one there. Even if he had taken everything from her. She was going to stand on her own two feet. She was going to be okay. 

  
  



End file.
